Ice-making apparatus



o. L UHR MAKING- APPARATUS original Filed July .14, 1921.2 Sheesheef 1i O. LUHR ICE MAKING APFARATUS April i5 1924.

1921 2 Shees-Sheei 2 Original Filed July 14,

Patented Ayr. 15, 19.24.

PATENT OFFICE OTTO LUHR, OF CHICAGO,l ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 LUHR & FRIEDL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A FIRM COMPOSIID 0F OTTO LUHR AND HERMAN FRIEDL. i

ICE-MAKING APPARATUS.

Original application tiled July 14,1921, Serial No. 484,615. Divided 1922. Serial No. 582,468.

To all Awhom it may concern.

Be it known that I, OTro LUHR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement inIee-MakingApparatus. of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates generally to the dehydrating of air, and asfto certain phases thereof to the treatnent of the `air under pressure supplied to cans, in ice-making apparatus, in which the ice is to be formed, for agitatingthe water therein during freezing; the \subject matter of this application being divided out of my iipplication for United. States patent Serial No. 484,615, filed July b My objects, generally stated, are to provide for the removal of such moisture in the air which, if permitted to remain therein, would 'be liable to freeze in, and clog, the air pipes conveyingthe air to the refrigerating cans and subjected to the cooling action ice-making of the brine used for freezing the water in the cans; and to provide for the washing of the air to remove the solid material therein. Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a view in elevation, partly Sectional and with parts broken away, of an plant embodying my improvements: and Figure 2, a view in vertical sec tional elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

In the particular construction shown,3 represents a brine tank containing a series of vertically disposed refrigerating coils 4, a part of one only of which is shown, submerged in the brine and spaced apart and extending lengthwise of the tank 3, and 5, cans, two only of which are shown, in which the water' to be frozen to form the ice cakes is contained, these cans being supported in" the tank portion to extend into the brine and into 'the spaces between the series of coils 4, .all in accordance with common practice.

Each can is shown as provided with an upwardly-extending pipe 6 which opens at its lower end into the can near the' bottom of the latter, the upper ends of the pipes 6 being provided with couplings 7 connected, by`

Ameans of pipes 8,. with the valved branchcouplings 9 connected with. and opening into, an air-pipe 10 'erably a plurality 1n a centrally The -dehydrating and Washing means shown comprise a tank 11 through a side of which, near its lower end, a pipe 12 extends, the inner end of-this pipe containing pref# of outlets 13 preferably opening downwardly into the tank, this pipe leading from any suitable source (not shown) of air under the desired pressure, a desirable source being any suitable construction.

Opening into the. tank 11 near its bottomV and as shown through its side wall and preferably above the air-pipe 12, isa pipe 14 which opens `at its inner end into the tank- 11, this pipe being preferably provided with ranch pipes 15 equipped with a plurality o f upwardly-discharging nozzles 16. The plpe'di in the arrangement shown is in communlcation with the interior of the brinetank 3 and is shown as containing a ump 17 by means of which refrigerated brine in` the tank 3 is discharged into the tank 11' through the nozzles 16, the brine upwardly in this tank as shown in Fig 2. T e top of the tank 11 contains an outlet communicating with a pipe 18 which leads to, and connects with` the pipe 10 and through which the air discharged into the tank 11 and acted on by thespra-yed brinev therein, discharges into the pipes 8 and 6 and thence into the cans,'the tank containing in its upper portion baflie plates for in-l tercepting the brine and separating it from the air inthe passage of the air to the pipe 18. The battling means shown comprise an upper plate 19 of conical form and of less diameter than the internal diameter of thev tank 11, supported in spaced relation to the top of this tank by brackets 20 dependin .from the latter an inverted frustro-eonioa in vertically .spaced relation to the plate 19 and containdisposed opening 23; and a re atively small plate 24-of conical formspaced vertically below the plate 21 and supported therefrom by brackets 25,` these various batlie. plates forming tortious passages-for the air in its travel to the outlet of the tank 11.

The pipe 18, by preference,

has interposed therein a separator 26 of any desirable conand this application tiled August 17,

an air-compressor of spraying struction, by means of which substantially i -all of the brine carried over with the lair in the How' of the latter from the tank11, is separated and permitted to flow back to the tank 11 as through the pipe 27 leading at its upper end from the lower end of the separator 26 and opening at its lower end into the tank 11.

`being equippedw'ith a Heat-controlled valve 29 the float of which is represented at 30' and floats on the accumulated body of brine in the tank 11, represented at 31, the parts just described being so constructed and arranged that when the brine in the tank 11 reaches a predetermined level above the outlet pipe 428', the float moves to such a position in Y Qwhich the valve 29 is open', thereby permitbrine to fiow from the tank 11 and back to the. tank 3, the lowermost level assumed [bythe brine in the body 31 thereof being entirely above-'the open end of the pipe 28 :I Asothat a liquid seal for this outlet is con-v stantly maintained, preventing thc escape therefrom of the air introduced into the tank 11. Y It will beun'derstood froml the foregoing that spraying the brine from the tank 3 into the tank- 11 serves not only to wash the air of oil, such as may become mixed with the air in it's passage through the air-compressor referred to, and other solid impurities, but

also freezes moisture which the air ma conf tain, the washed out substances and rzen moisture separating from the air in its passage to the outlet pipe 18 and gravitating to the bottom of the tang 11. As the brine used inthe tank 11 is of substantially the same temperature as the coolest portionv of the brine in thetank 3, by reason o f the drawing of the` brine from the lower portion "2.1 thereof in the tank /3, the air delivered to the pipe 10 from the tank 11 is caused to be i free of such of its contained moisture as would become frozen in its passage to the cans, it not removed as stated, and which, if not removed, would be liable to clog the air pipes.

The tank 11 is shown provided with a valved drain-pipe 32 to drain the tank 11 when, and if, desired; and also as provided with sight openings 33 covered with transl, parent plates 34; and a manhole 35 equipped with a cover device 36 for permitting access to the interior-of the tank if desired.

vention, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto as various changes and alterations may be made in the structure shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Whatl claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1.- Inv ice-'making apparatus, in combination, a refrigerating bath, cans in which the ice is to be formed adapted to be placed 'in said bath airqaipes opening into said cans, means or supplying air to said pipes,

means for rcausing the air to be contactedwith the refrigerated liquid from said bath, and means for separating the frozenA moisture from the airv prior to its entering the portions of the pipes adjacent the cans, whereby to avoid the freezing of such moisture in said pipes by the refrigerating bath.

2. In ice-making ap aratus, in combination, a refrigerating hath, cans in which the ice is to be formed adapted to be placed in said bath, air-pipes opening into said cans, means for supplying air to said pipes, means for causing the air to be contacted with the refrigerated liquid from the lower 4portion of said bath, and means for separating the frozen moisture from the air prior to its entering the portions of the pipes adjacent the cans, whereby to avoid the freezing of suoli moisture insai'd pipes by the refrigerating bath.

In ice-making apparatus, in combination, a refrigcrating bath, cans in which the ice is to be formed adapted to be placed in said bath, air-pipes opening into said cans, an air-tank in communication with said air-pipes, and lmeans for causing a spray of refrigerated liquid from said bath to vcontact with the air iii said tank to remove the,

avoid the freezing of such moisture in saio` pipes by the main portion of said refrigerat ing medium in which the cans are placed.

sav

5. In ice-makng apparatus, in eombina- 6. In ice-making apparatus, in combination, a refrigeiating bath water-containing tion, a refrigerating bath, water-containing cans in which the ice is to ine formed extendcans in which ice is to be formed extendin ing into said bath, air-pli es opening into into said bath, air-pipes opening into sai 5 said cans, meaps for wit rawingrefrigercans, means for spraying refrigerant from X5 ant from the lower poi/cion of the bath, said bath into the air supplied o said pipes, means for sub'ecti the irsupplied to and means for returning such refrigerant said pipes to t e actlon of the witiivrawn to said bath. refrigerant, and means for returning Vsuch 1o refrigerant to said ma. OTTO LUHR. 

